Hoodlum's Wearin' an X
by Endless Mist
Summary: A new incarnate of Red X has come to Jump City. Dangerous, volatile, and more than a bit reckless this Red X will bring infamy to his name. Will you come and play with me?
1. Intro

**Hoodlum's Wearin' an X.**

Rains decided to break into the car of his high schools richest and most pompous kid. Now Rains was a hood, the bad guy of the school, because he still went while the other hoods just hung out by the old drive-in-movie theater or the V Zone the bar where guys like him could get good ol' alcohol and cancer sticks even if guys like him were only sixteen. The guy whose car he planned to take wasn't a bad guy, got good grades, hot girl, and a real and lovin' family (the one thing Rains used to want before deciding he wanted to get out of the town of Brownsville more) but the guy with his lack of problems pissed off Rains for some reason he couldn't quite identify.

As he approached the car, whose owner was at the big football game and was driven by a friend, (he didn't play cuz' mommy wouldn't let him) with all caution. Rains had lifted a car or two in his glory days of Hooddum (he still was the best fighter the town had but he stopped stealing and picking fights). The car served no problem as it was unlocked. Then Rains drove to the small, vacant, and crumbling auto garage he used as a base of operations (and home at the few times he could not keep up on his rent and needed to cool down and save money) which held all of his tools that ranged from a standard screwdriver to a hydraulic jaws of life type tool.

Now Rains could do a lot to the car from returning it to its place in perfect condition to cutting it into spare parts to sell or give as presents (his friend Davis had this nice car made of all salvaged parts that could use…something). After deliberation he decided to open the trunk and look around for inspiration. Before he got his multitude of tools out he slid into the driver's seat and opened the glove compartment. Inside of the glove compartment was a little yellow button that had minute print on it claming "TRUNK DOOR" in its middle. One push and the trunk popped.

Rains strode over to the opened trunk in his confident way. The interior of the trunk held a jacket, some trash, and a spare tire. Rains pulled the floor mat and started to rummage in the spare tire storage but his fingers met a metal lockbox. He pulled the box out and placed it on his worktable and left the trunk gapping like a monsters maw.

A few prods with a lock pick and the box was open. Rains lifted the lid and peered inside and promptly slammed said lid after all he had seen a skull inside of the box. He shook his head and flipped the lockbox's lid back and saw the skull was not in his imagination.

Upon closer inspection Rains noticed the bright red lines that ran perpendicular in an 'X' across the skulls front. Picking the skull up he figured it to be a mask instead of a skull. Putting the mask to one side Rains pulled the rest of the box's contents up and out of the metal container. A black skin tight suit of some odd fabric with mimicries of the perpendicular red lines forming an 'X', two gauntlets the color of gunmetal, black boots, a ragged cape, and a belt of twilight gray with the same red lines as before. As Rains looked at the suit he remembered something he had read in the paper a few months ago, that the Red X suit was stolen from Titan's Tower and was running around unchecked. Rains had thought it was a good laugh or something to that effect. But seeing the suit that now belonged to some guy at his school, in his town, hell in his state was…

And then a smile stole itself onto Rains face, that bitter angry smile that his friends said made him into a twisted madman of a hood. He found that his _old chum_ from high school having the suit amusing especially when Rains held it in his hands.

Slamming the lockbox's lid Rains returned it to the car's trunk sans the Red X suit. Slamming the trunk in the same way as the lockbox, Rains went to the drivers' seat and pushed the small remote he had produced from his pocket that opened the garage door and drove the car out of his garage. He took the car and parked it where it was originally, waiting dutifully for its master to come back from his friends at the summer "football fantastica" that all the towns in a twenty mile radius went to in the summers break from school for a festival centered around football.

Rains had to walk to the garage but it was only about six blocks away. Nobody from town would dare try and jump him because everyone knew him by his pale, corpse like skin, dyed purple hair (all because of a bet in the seventh grade and the subsequent adding to his reputation), and blazing eyes the same shade as the desert sky.

When he got to his garage he closed all the doors locked them and retreated to his apartment with the suit in his backpack. And when he opened the door to his apartment he locked it. The same process went with all of his doors and windows. As the last door shut Rains put his backpack on the writing desk his dad had made before he died.

Rains tore off all his clothes but his boxers, and climbed into the suit. It stretched perfectly to fit his slender yet strong frame. He wondered how Zack (the guy the suit came from) had fit into it when his shoulders were broader. He figured that the suit stretched so he must be a bit bigger than the guy it was made for. After he had taken the time to align the suit to his body he pulled the boots that with a second glance had grey up their sides. The gauntlets came next and then the ragged cape. The belt was snapped upon his waist in a matter of moments and as its buckle clicked into place the suit felt different like it had cooled down. And lastly the white skull mask. Once that last piece of the suit came into contact with the others the suit came to life.

The first noticeable thing was the pounding rap song that struck Rains eardrum. The next was the cold that hit his body. And a dozen screens flashed before his eyes. Rains ripped the mask off his head and stared at it for a moment. Rains smile was so wide anyone watching could see his near perfect teeth (no teeth are perfect and Rains just had a few teeth to close together but nothing serious).

"So a built in mp3 player huh? Cool," Rains voice came out without any discernible accent.

After a long check Rains had the mp3 off and deleting its songs, the suits built-in cooling/warming system to body temperature, and figured out the heads up display (or HUD). Then he plugged the mask into his computer and downloaded some of his favorite songs and bands like Guns and Roses, Pantera, and The Rolling Stones (he, unlike most hoods, listened to rock and detested most rap). Rains waited until the songs and such were downloaded on the mask then placed it on his head. Glancing down before opening the window of his apartment so he could have some fun in _his_ new suit he noticed a weird thing. His gauntlets now had red lines like the one on his mask and chest.

Suddenly the HUD flashed red and said 'SHORTAGE OF XINOTHIUM REFULE" and the noise that pro and preceded it made Rains take off the mask. Walking to the computer while striping the rest of the suit off of his body Rains wondered how Zack got the suit in the first place and why he was so careless with it.

Sitting down at his dad's writing desk and pulling up the internet Rains thought just how difficult getting the suit running would be. Quickly bringing up the Google website he searched for xinothium and where it could be found. After a few hours of searching Rains found out about a building that had a large grouping of the volatile chemical and had announced they were researching ways to make it stable. The company was located in Jump City the home of the Teen Titan's. Rains decided to sleep on his thoughts right after he had hid the Red X suit away.

**1**

The next mourning Rains had a plan. First he would call a teacher he had once who had moved because his intelligence was compromised by the lack of interest of his students and the offer of more money at the Martin Scarsdale School for Gifted Youth. The man had tried to convince Rains to move to the school (and Jump City) because they provided a full scholarship and an almost guarantee of an Ivy League collage for its students future. Then he would gather all his money say bye to Davis (his only friend since he had left the gang) and pack his stuff up. The call went over better than expected because Rains had waited until twelve o'clock before his call (so the time wasn't too early).

"Hello?" The voice of his old teacher and his faint British accent gave Rains some relief.

"Mr. Baseman how are you,"

"Fine. And who may I ask is calling?" His British accent gave his voice the soothing quality many lacked.

"I'm Rains. I was once a student of yours and was wondering if the offer to be taught at that prodigious school you work at was still on the table. I know I haven't seen you in about two years but…I was the kid with the purple hair?" Rains waited with anticipation while there was a silence on the other line until.

"Of course Mr. Rains the offer is still on the table. But I can't remember your first name," Rains felt good that the teacher would remember him and even better that he forgot his first name.

"I don't go by my first name anyway just Rains. Um…when can I get the forms you told me about before you left?"

"You'd have to come to the school for testing at this time of year. And you have to promise not to tell but if you came here I could help on the deciding if you're allowed in bit. And I would like some one like you in my class again." His words made Rains smile.

"Fine because I was thinking of moving up there anyway. When can you get me a test Mr. Baseman?"

"In two weeks from tomorrow. Can you make it Rains?" The bad feeling dissipated into the air at those words.

"Yes, and I think I'll start over there as soon as possible because I want a change," Rains had already quit the conversation.

"Bye-bye then Rains,"

"You to Mr. Baseman," And the phone gave a click as Rains turned it off

**2**

Rains had a quick good-bye with Davis, had withdrawn all his money from his account, and sold some of the things he didn't need from his house. Davis drove him to the train station where he would board and leave for Jump City.

"Guess this is good-bye for real huh Rains?" Davis asked in his long southern drawl.

"Yeah Davis it's good-bye for real. Well I love you man, later," Rains leaped from the car and started for the train that had just pulled up.

"I love ya'll two Rainey day," Rains put up one hand in departing before getting on the passenger train and finding a seat.

Watching the scenery go by Rains drifted to sleep. He had several dreams the first was a semi wet dream about the first girl he'd ever had sex with. The next was about pink sheep being led to the butcher shop by Davis his friend. And the last was a black outline or essence that had two red perpendicular lines that met at the perfect angle to form a red 'X'.

Rains woke about twenty minutes before the train would reach Jump City and he gave a small victory smirk at his accomplishments so far. And as he got of the train and took his first step into Jump City he knew that he would make himself famous…or rather he would make the crimson thief Red X infamous

---

_How is every one tonight? Good? Bad? Really I don't care but false concern is better than none, right? No I guess not well this is the start of a new Red X different from the second opposite of the first. Hope you enjoy this little ride through the jungle. Have a nice day._

_-Endless Mist. _


	2. Trippin' the Xino

The apartment held no furniture and little more than near dead kitchen appliances and a washer and dyer set. But it would be perfect as soon as Rains former furniture showed up (he had paid good money to send it out here as soon as he had found a place). One week in Jump City and he had an apartment, a new school to go to in the fall…no friends, a depleted supply of money, and almost no xinothium stores in the Red X suit.

Rains would never admit it but he felt he had royally screwed himself. Choosing to move around as fast he did made him lose some reasoning and resources but a quick steal and Rains planned to have the suit filled to the brim with its volatile fuel source. Yet his stomach had its own agenda. He decided to think more after lunch.

Walking to a fairly good pizza place (if his old teacher was to be trusted) Rains eyed all the women he passed. He had felt the need of companionship as of late. And some of these girls felt the same by the way they dressed. One specimen, talking on a cell phone, caught his eye especially when he moved close enough to tell she was having an argument with her husband if the ring on her finger indicated anything. It was quite heated and Rains was about to lay some of his "I'm a poor orphan" moves on her (all older women with hubby problems can't resist the poor orphan bit nor the offer of revenge nookie) when he realized the pizza place was just up the street and his stomach had more urgent needs than his groin.

Rains entered the place and walked to the top and open level of the structure and noticed a poster board that read "THE TEEN TITAN'S ALL TIME FAVORITE". He gave a small sigh as he sat himself at the round table at the furthermost tip of the restaurant that was a triangle and obviously was meant to look like a pizza slice.

"What would you like sir?" A serving girl asked in the bored voice most teenaged workers have.

"A Dr. Pepper, three slices of pepperoni pizza, and your number," Not a bit of the sentence had real emphasis in it or emotion but idle command. The girl started walking back to the counter that his order would be given when she stopped gave him a once over and handed him a piece of paper that she had scribbled on.

_Meet me here in ten minutes and I'll show you_ _a great time._

_-Christie P.S. we'll talk about numbers later._

Rains smiled as he read the note because it wasn't often he got to take care of his wants and needs in such a timely manner. He began to sink back into his view of the city's busy streets when he heard.

"Dude! How'd you get that ice queens number!" Shouted by an ecstatic boy with _green_ skin.

"Are you sick your…green," Rains sounded concerned but…he wasn't.

"Wha…? No I'm not sick! You're in my seat. How'd you get that girls number? And I'm Beast Boy!" Beast Boy had an almost scarily quick amount of topical change in his sentence and Rains would have said so if someone else hadn't beaten him to it.

"BB leave the guy alone," A tall black teen moved up to the short green one. The black guy had metal all over his…no was his body.

"But Cy this guy says I look sick _and_ got that one waitresses number!" The green Beast Boy waved his arms wildly to get his point across.

"I received an assurance of casual sex with a stranger, not a number kid," Rains wanted to brag and see the green Beast Boy shut up. A moment of silence then.

"What? You can't be serious! I mean she doesn't even talk to me and you get sex?! I'm a superhero!" Beast Boy seemed ready to strike Rains so he shifted in his chair to the best spot to break any attack and break Beast Boy if need be.

"Well a lot of girls are drawn to bad guys like me. Or she has taste and can't deny my…hoodlyness," Rains had thought of that word and a dozen others to fit this kind of situation.

"Your wha…?" He was cut off as a black cloud like thing covered his mouth and pulled him back.

"You have to excuse our friend he gets a little…augmentative when he's hungry," Robin the Boy Blunder stood in front of Rains and sheepishly apologized.

"No problem. But thanks I didn't want to hurt him," Rains wasn't lying because hurting a hero was a bad move in a city like this.

"I don't think you could beat Beast Boy," The Boy Blunder let out a laugh as if the whole idea was funny. It wasn't.

"I could beat him and you, even though I am devoid of all those powers and gadgets you have," Rains didn't try to conceal his malice at his brand new enemies.

"No you couldn't," Robin had gotten this determined slant in his hidden eyes and Rains knew he was in a verbal battle and was about to reply when he heard.

"Do we have to fight civilians as well, Robin?" Rains stood pulled his chair out and said in quick reply to the black-purple haired super girl, Raven.

"You won't have to my dear lady. Duty calls but if we could arrange a get together in the near future we could get to know one and other very well," He gave a small bow, a suggestive smile, and a decadent wink to the dark sorceress before leaving to claim his waitress distraction.

Walking down the stairs he met the girl bringing his food and pulled her along with him. They sat at a small table and they both ate food Rains would pay for and shared the large drink she had brought. After they went outside and into the first dark alley Rains could find and he took her there against the wall. He got her number.

**1**

A quick walk had Rains in his apartment and showing as he wondered how he'd pull off the theft he was attempting to plan with a near dead suit and no real ideas. Rains decided he should try that night. Stepping out of the shower he made his way to his suitcase that held his clothes. Pulling out a pair of old blue jeans, grey short sleeved shirt. Putting them aside he put on a pair of black boxers and then the Red X suit (just the body piece) and pulled his clothes on over it. He put the suits other parts in his backpack. He grabbed his favorite denim jacket on the way out.

He set out for this nightclub he had heard good things about. Once there he moved to a small table in the large clubs darkest corner. He noticed a girl and guy sitting at a table near his the second he looked away and turned back the girl was gone. And then he noticed her ponytail spread on the table and a…bobbing in the guy's lap. He put his Red X gloves on after that. He waited and watched as a large crowd of girls danced in a manner that would have a local nun on full alert. He even saw a couple start grinding and groping and undressing on the dance floor. It was all entertaining yet Rains still waited at the table in the corner his back to the wall only getting up to get a drink (a coke because he doubted any thief would _ drink_ before a job).

He had no reason to be at the new nightclub other than to slate his boredom by watching fools dance and vie for sexual release. Then he saw a girl. She had hair of deep red, eyes that, quite literally, _glowed _a green, and skin that had an odd tan, almost an orange. He stood walked the short distance to her.

He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and started to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She could not see nor hear him and since the lights in the club changed colors often she could not tell his gloves were not someone else's. He maneuvered her towards the edge of the crowd. Once there he moved his mouth to hers in a chaste kiss but Rains was hungry allover again and pushed a bit to fast onto her mouth and his hands started to roam. He heard a shout from a familiar voice and then he recognized her. Starfire from the Teen Titans. She noticed that he was not who she must have thought him to be for she screamed.

He felt like he was flying. And then Rains reminded himself that of course he felt that way he _had_ just been punched by an extraordinarily strong alien for _kissing and_ _touching_ her. He barely got away with a cracked rib from where he fell. Rains slipped out of the nightclub into an ally and decided to get the xinothium…it was safer.

**2**

The Red X lurked around the security at the WAYNE Enterprises building with the perfect ease of a professional assassin. Nothing should have been as easy as it was for Red X especially when this should have been a top security kind of place not the rent-a-cops and laser sensors kind. Or maybe it was just nerves after all the current Red X had no power in the suit and no experience in thievery like the kind the previous incarnates dealt in.

A quick leap and Red X was at the vault door that led to all the xinothium he would ever need. Opening it was easy as well, just a swipe with a card he had found and a press on the right numbers (the executive who visited the labs behind these doors had it written down) on the keypad and gave a small yank to the vault handle and leapt inside.

The Red X crept along the wall towards the storage cabinets that held the coveted xinothium. Never giving a thought about being caught. There was in the room's middle a floating tube of the precious material. He pulled it down and placed it at the center of his belt and the xinothium flowed into it and washed life into the Red X suit. He then filled the tube with cherry Kool-Aid and replaced it in its suspended state. He walked to the walls and gave an experimental tug to one of the miniature vaults lining the steel walls. A puff of cold and white air announced the opening of the small vault. In the center was a large yellow container with a biohazard sign on it.

Red X pressed a button on the container and it exposed the carefully stored xinothium. Closing the container and vault Red X began the trek to the outside of the building when he heard.

"TITANS GO!" Come from the Boy Blunder Robin.

Red X smiled as the Teen Titans closed in on him. They fell into position around him and Red X decided that they had this all planned out.

"All this attention for me? If I had known I would have brought a gift," The surprised look on Robin's face was reward enough for changing the voice modifier that still sounded somehow mechanical but different more like a ghost.

"What are you doing here X," Robin said a sneer on his face to match the smile on Red X's hidden one.

"Nothing but taking a little stroll through a concrete jungle," Red X shot back.

"You're not going to get out with the xinothium X!" Robin shouted as he lunged at Red X who dodged and threw a kick at the Teen Titans leader's back.

Red X managed to keep Robin off of him when he attacked while tossing an amount of X-shuriken at his friends all the while bouncing to the rhythm of the song playing in his headset. Red X jumped over a blue colored attack from Cyborg's right arm, kicked Robin in the face, and twirled in mid-air to toss another X-shuriken at Raven one that expanded to cover her face and stop her from speaking the incantations for her spells.

"You guys don't like me do you?" Red X asked after taking a star bolt to the chest.

Red X used almost none of the xinothium stores except the little bit that controlled the heating/cooling system of his suit. Yet he was winning. First he would hit Robin then throw an X-shuriken at someone and hit whoever was closest before going at Robin again. Soon he grew bored with the fighting not to mention that Robin was regaining his composer and taking more time with his moves which meant Red X had less time to take on the others which in turn left the Titans with more time to attack him which all meant that Red X needed to get out because any fighter can tell you timing is one of the most fundamental elements in the game.

"I have to go now kiddies but don't worry good ol' X 'ill be back sometime soon," Red X said before pressing his belt and transporting to a different part of the building so he could make his escape.

He had to run and duck and at one point run through a stretch of sewer to get away from the superheroes. When he arrived at the small ally behind the nightclub he pulled his clothes back on and went on his way to his apartment where he would hole up for a few days.

"But first," He murmured, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket baring the series of numbers that would bring a waitress over to his residency, "A bit of…fun," He laughed considering that he might make national news at his successful theft.

---

_More of the story, less of the gold._


	3. Small Time Thievery

He made the national news. It was a story that every paper and station had to have an article about. Red X beating the Teen Titans happened to make beautiful publicity. One news team had talked to the Titans and made fun of their abilities (Robin had to be dragged away).

And Rains, through it all, could only laugh, plot his next move, and laugh. Then came the night of Red X's next appearance. Rains wanted something big and he got it.

"The Dream Stone diamond will be coming to the Jump City Museum of Natural History. This crystal is rumored to have an almost hypnotic quality to it and was once the center for worship in the Zingonian region of South America." Kent Carlson the anchor for Live Action News said before Rains lost interest in what he had to read off a teleprompter.

Steal a big rock, Rains thought, should be easy. He moved to his computer (as earlier that week his furniture arrived) typed in the website the news program had given for the Museum and clicked away at it until he found a layout for the building. He then downloaded said layout into the Red X suit's HUD for later reference. He took time to laugh at the Teen Titans a _bit_ more before going out, the Red X suit on under his normal clothes.

He walked a bit before finding himself at the Jump City pier just looking at the sea (a sight he had only once before seen). He watched the sunset into the ocean and just stopped thinking as the colors bled, deepened until the complete black of night took the waters color but for a harsh sickle moon.

He started for the Museum never once really thinking about his next job. That was a good thing because if one thought too much about anything one might lose focus or get preconceived notions. When he reached the museum Rains walked past it and into an ally to fully change into his suit. The last thought on Rains mind as he pulled the Red X mask on was; no one can stop me in this thing.

**1**

Red X slunk into the museum via ventilation. He moved about like a shadow dancing past every obstacle the closing building could offer. Nothing impeded his movements. Soon the Dream Stone found itself in Red X's line of sight.

A quick series of acrobatics that were moderate compared to the skill of at least one other. One flick had an X-shuriken in hand for the thief. He cut away the glass surrounding the diamond. An invisible smirk stole unto his hidden face.

"TITANS GO!" Was shouted from Robin as the Teen Titans arrived on the scene.

"You should consider a new name for team, the one you got now is gay," Red X said while turning and launching the X-shuriken in his hand at the teenaged heroes.

With an inarticulate roar Robin launched himself at the thief. He shot out a dozen punches and kicks in the space of a minute. Red X dodged all of them and placed two hits on Robin, before backpedaling and dodging a few more hits.

At this point the rest of the team came into the fight with all of their separate powers driving Red X and Robin apart. Red X kept himself from getting hit but stayed in the same place not retaliating in the least. Soon Robin was there again and Red X took his arm as it extended and, ramming his shoulder into the Boy Blunder's armpit, used Robin's momentum against him to toss him to his back painfully. Backing himself away from Robin Red X called out.

"Should we stop now? You're just embarrassing yourself Birdie Boy. Come on no one wants to see you hurt. Just stop now okay?"

"Never X!" Robin shouted and rushed Red X who moved himself out of the way.

"Calm down boy! No need to get you're self into a mess is there?"

"Stand still!" Robin said as once again Red X dodged an attack from two Titans and landed a small jab to the Boy Blunder.

"Let's get one thing straight. I'm a ghost to you of your failure. I get that. But what I don't get is why you're so persistent when you and me only met once?" Red X asked.

"What do you mean only once?!" Robin screeched.

"I'm a brand new Red X. Not like the last and pure opposite of the first. Got that Birdie?" Red X mocked.

Before Robin could answer Red X used the teleportation device attached to his belt to ride down two of the buildings floors into the medieval corridor. Once there Red X saw a glass case set to one side filled to the brim with ancient weapons. Striding over he broke the case with a fist and took out one long sword complete with black wooden sheath. Running the blade against the velvet display in the case it cut with almost no force. Strapping it on crossing his first belt he took off to another section of the museum.

After one floor change, several minor run-ins with the Teen Titans, and adding to his collection Red X came to a hall dedicated to Japanese history. He went to the biggest case broke it and peered inside. The contents were several old, strong, and beautifully crafted swords. Red X could not help himself and took the three katana (as the stand next to the case said) and one large spear like weapon with a widely curved blade called a 'naginata'.

Stuffing them all in his belt and the straps of his backpack Red X ran towards the window at the end of the hall. One X-shuriken was all that the window needed to break. Red X leaped through the glass and launched out a grapple into one of the trees lining the museums side. He swung out on it until it hit its lowest point in the swing then let go into a controlled roll.

He landed between two news vans (there were more reporters than police) and as he stood a camera was thrust in his face and a pretty blond reported shrieked at him. He walked away calm and poised even waving a little at the stunned cameraman. Then he pressed the button on his belt and disappeared.

**2**

It had taken Rains an hour to get to his apartment and throw off the Teen Titans. And even safely home and with his _acquisitions_ hidden and in a hot shower he expected the brats to break his door down. He sighed and climbed into his bed idly thinking of the waitress and then Starfire and Raven and last of all Cristina Ricci, his favorite actress. Sleep came and with it dreams. None of importance. But still they were pretty.

Rains woke that night with a start. He ran to his back pack and pulled the Red X suit out and ran his hands all around it in panic. Soon the episode was over as he found no tracking device like his dream led him to believe. He sighed and fell back into his bed.

"Weird fuckin' night," He murmured to his empty room.

**3**

Rains was faced with a problem. He had to sell some of his 'acquisitions' and it was not a happy idea. He was walking the streets looking for something to do (or someone) and trying to figure out his problem.

"I'll just go to every rich guy's house and ask them about it," He whispered tiredly.

He stretched his body out and looked around the streets that had yet to become familiar. Even the people were unfamiliar. Not a single friendly face in the crowds (the waitress was all lust). And then it happened…homesickness.

Rains wasn't the type to get depressed and he had never loved his home but…this was a different kind of sadness. The kind that made people turn to vice to erase it. Like those fish that live deep at the bottom of the sea that explode before they could reach the surface because they lost the pressure they were born to deal with. But Rains would not implode because he wasn't some ugly fish he was a human…and adaptation had always been in his repertoire.

He walked away from that street and those thoughts. Rains stepped into a small grocery store for…obvious reasons. After he paid for the bag of necessities he went out unto the street and glumly looked around before heading back to his apartment. Dimly he wondered if the Teen Titans were ever homesick.

A little bit ahead of him on the sidewalk was a small bank. Nothing was special about it except it was being robbed by a stony man like figure commonly called Cinderblock. It roared as it broke out of the bank's front wall. And a small bit of that wall flew at Rains and as he calmly ducked it his grocery bag was upset onto the pavement by a fleeing citizen.

"That's it," Rains said and he ran at the stony creature.

Rains launched himself into the air and landed on Cinderblock's back. From there everything happened fast. Rains produce a knife from his jacket and drove it into the back of Cinderblock's head…except Cinderblock was made of stone. The monster tossed Rains from its back easy and with a roar it charged him.

"Shit," Rains said when he righted himself.

Rains started to roll when he heard that trice dammed shout of 'TITANS GO!'. When he stood Cinderblock was being pelted with green bursts of power and rammed by a rhino. Rains had never and would never (as far as he himself was concerned) walk out on a fight. So he snuck behind Cinderblock and, with a piece of wood he found near the bank, struck the stone creation in the back of the knee. As Cinderblock toppled Rains leaped out of the way and then back in swinging the piece of wood for all he had into the confused stone creation's face.

As expected it had little effect on the creation but to piss it off. As Cinderblock rose swinging its massive arm, Rains backpedaled. The stone creation rushed him and Rains grinned recklessly at the approaching monster. Cinderblock's wild run was stopped short by Rains jumping on its head and pulling with every ounce of momentum he had to make the creation fall.

The second after Cinderblock hit the ground a multitude of attacks came from the Teen Titans, effectively knocking the creation out. Rains jogged over to his grocery bag and noticed an orange rolling away. As he reached for the fallen produce another hand grasped it. The hand belonged to the Titan Starfire.

"Thank you for helping us," She said brightly giving Rains the orange.

A reporter (who Rains noted was the blond who had shrieked the last time she saw him) came up to him with a cameraman in tow.

"Hello this is Tracy Bigham reporting at the sight of the Teen Titans latest triumph over evil," She said cheerily. "But this time they were beaten to the punch, literally, by this young man here," She motioned for Rains to speak.

"I'm Rains," He said simply.

"Well Rains how does it feel to have shown up the Teen Titans?" Another reporter with black hair asked.

"I guess I fell…um bettered by it or something like that," He waved his hand dismissively and started to walk home when Robin grabbed his arm tightly and said in stage whisper.

"Don't do the vigilante thing okay kid? I mean if you got hurt how would your parents fell?"

"My parents are dead. And even if they were alive I can tell you I wouldn't get hurt, _kid_," Rains said venomously.

Rains walked out of the Boy Blunder's grip and started on his way home. Feeling cocky that day Rains bumped into Raven, the dark sorceress, slipping a note into her hand with his number and 'I'm Rains call me!' written on it. Looking back he saw Robin trying to collect himself, Starfire confused, Beast Boy with his chin in his hand, Cyborg hauling Cinderblock into a police van, and Raven blushing so lightly that if she wasn't so pale no one would be able to see it.

---

_Another bit gone… another day down. Yeah I need to get a serious bad guy for this because Robin maybe obsessive and working on an ulcer but not a bad guy._


	4. Sleep Cycle

Red X was featured on the television/computer set in the center of Titans' Tower. Robin glared at it as he replayed the tapes of his fight with Red X. From when he was in the suit to every fight after that had some recorded evidence. And the only conclusion he could come up with was that Red X _had_ changed. A new person was inside the suit by the fighting styles not to mention the newer one was taller and had a strut about him that exuded cockiness. Really the one person Robin associated that strut to (in sheer arrogance if not shape) was Mic Jagger of The Rolling Stones.

The best he could do when thinking about Red X was watch the tapes he had. The worst…he went out and stalked anyone with a swagger in their step which, in a city full of villains, vagrants, and innumerable gangs, everyone had a swagger.

"Robin are you going to bed, man?" Cyborg, the half metal man asked knowing the answer.

"No, I think I'll just check the city one last time okay?" Robin murmured sleepily.

"Sure, Robin. You do that," Cyborg said knowing this would be one of those nights when he would have to put his leader to bed.

The half man was right as Robin was dozing before Cyborg had even left the main room of Titans' Tower. Robin had a half dream where he caught Red X and he knew him. Someone with a familiar swagger, someone cocky, someone who…had…purple…And then Robin woke his dream dissolved.

"Damn," He said.

This had happened before; a near epiphany. He had it but woke up. Robin knew he had been onto something…in his dream.

"Maybe I should just go to sleep for real," The leader of the Teen Titans said before taking off to his room for the night.

**1**

Raven sat on her dark bed, with its dark bedspread in her dark room, staring at the small card that brought white into her gloomy abode. What irked her most was not the presumption that she would want a number but the _jaunty _way the note with the number was written (after all who puts a smiley face where a dot could fit perfectly…Who?). She wondered what this male thought he was.

The dark sorceress then did something she could not remember doing before. She reached for her phone. The private line she paid for because somehow she doubted Robin would be enthusiastic about her calling someone who had shown him up. Then she put it down.

"I don't think any good can come of it," She said with a shake of her head.

Walking to her dresser she opened a drawer that held nothing of magical use. She didn't want some of the arrogant male's aura to seep into _anything _magical. Really, it would most likely escape into some physical manifestation. A scary possibility.

**2**

Beast Boy tried to sleep but was denied it. He could not (and would not) accept that some punk off the streets had beaten a powerful enemy and made them look worse then ever before. He doubted there would be a problem except for News Channel Seven. Their lead reporter had been out to get the Titans' from day one.

It was like the paparazzi; every turn was documented and shown in a bad light. Once Beast Boy had come close to falling on a kid when in an elephant form and it was used in an evidence file for a mock trial the news station set up. Nothing, _nothing,_ pissed Beast Boy off more that that channel. They didn't even have good shows! And they got huge ratings because everyone was horridly fascinated by what Chad Burnslow had to say.

These thoughts burning in his mind Beast Boy found an uneasy sleep.

**3**

Starfire, the female warrior, stood on the Towers roof contemplating. All the things she had learned since arriving to Earth. Thinking of mustard and its pleasing qualities, certain boundaries that humans have, and the most puzzling the walls many build.

She sighed thinking now of Robin, the Boy Wonder. For awhile things were good and fine, peaceful like. But then…they came back from Tokyo. Villains were rampant again and now Red X, Robin's biggest mistake, was back. She feared for his sanity. Her reasoning was well founded as past experiences dictated.

She sighed once again before going inside to her warm, inviting bed.

**4**

Red X slunk into the small pawnshop in the bad part of town. He had an arranged meeting with a…broker of sorts. He slowed to a crawl as the small office came in sight. A glow came from it, spilling into the hall. Red X stood and walked boldly into the office.

"Bout time, kid," a small man said in a soft voice.

Red X stood there not saying a word.

"Fine, fine. You must want an introduction first, huh?" He scratched at his cheek. "I'm Samuel Scarr."

Red X said nothing just placed a bag on Samuel's desk. Pulling the drawstrings open the faint glimmer of museum jewels set Samuel's eyebrow upwards.

"I also heard you stole the Dream Stone," He said.

"I have it with me, but tell me. How much can I get for this and how much do I have to pay you?" Red X said his first words of the night.

"Well I can tell you how much everything is worth and send you on your way. Or I can tell you how much these jewels are worth you can stay, we work out some financial issues, and I become your official broker."

"The hell does that mean?"

"Well you show me everything you get; I put it out there in the market and act as median for all purchases and sells. For a nominal fee, of course," He chuckled a bit.

"Sure, sounds good. Wait here a minute," Red X fled and returned with all but one katana from the museum, the naginata, long sword, and Dream Stone in hand.

"I have a buyer for the Dream Stone already," the Indian said, smiling slightly.

"I think this will be a great friendship, Sammy," Red X said.

"Call me Scarr. Now about the money I receive and you get, oh and how much we sell these items for…"

**5**

Two hours later Rains fell into his bed with the Red X suit all on but for the mask and cape. He ran a gloved hand through his hair and cackled loudly. He had massive amounts of money and proper channels to use it thanks to Scarr.

"Looks like I'm going to have more fun than I thought here," He laughed again, more subdued. He pushed a button on his answering machine and it chimed and said in a cool voice he had one new message.

"Rains, you intrigue me. I would like to know how you are half as arrogant as you are. I would like to arrange a meeting. Call me to make the preparations," The droning voice said. He knew it and it brought a smile to his face. She must have thought of the message before hand.

The question was; where did one bring Raven, the dark sorceress of the Titans' to for a date? How would one get to the island the Titans' Tower stood on? Rains let the half formed answers fly as he succumbed to sleep, deep and dreamless.

---

_How does the world fall, to fire or ice? The events are turning slowly but still moving._


End file.
